She is a dominant force on the tennis court and a tennis fashion icon. But it hasn’t always been that way. In this article, we take a look at clothing deals Serena Williams has signed, how her fashion sense has extended into her personal brand and some of the other brands that have hired Williams as a spokesperson.
A Little Bit of History
Serena Williams was born September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan. She has more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other tennis player in the Open Era. She is regarded as one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. Her combined total of 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles ties her for third place on the all-time list and second in the Open Era. Williams is the most recent female player to hold four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously. She has won more Grand Slam singles titles (13) on the hard court than any other player. Williams also has four Olympic gold medals, three from doubles titles and one for singles. Her list of accomplishments is lengthy.
It Started When She Was Just 16
Back in 1997 Puma approached Williams. She was just a teen and the No. 41-ranked women’s singles player in the world. The deal, in her own words, was important at the time. “I could have signed with any sports brand, but this was the most promising and felt right for me.” It became official in February 1998. The five-year endorsement deal was worth $13 million. The deal brought about a Williams shoe, called Extrena, which sold well. But what got Puma - and Williams - noticed the most was the clothing she wore on the court with the Puma brand. The black catsuit that appeared at the 2002 US Open was the focus of much attention. “Man, that outfit turned a lot of heads…” said Williams looking back on the event, “but what most people don’t realize is it was so comfortable! Of course, the catsuit was so hot I would have worn it even if it was the most uncomfortable thing in the world.” Puma, which was virtually invisible in the tennis world before it got acquainted with Williams, saw the potential in the partnership. But that friendship cooled over time.
A Jump To Nike
Williams won six Grand Slam singles titles, climbed up the rankings to the top of the list, and jumped ship to join Nike. That was in December 2003. The deal was worth $55 million over eight years and was accompanied by performance incentives. That agreement was followed in 2013 by another deal with Nike. This time, it was for five years and worth $40 million. This deal included sales royalties and performance incentives attached to Grand Slam victories and maintaining a No. 1 world ranking. In 2019, Williams and Nike joined forces to create an apprenticeship program to promote diversity in design. The program also offers a foundation for young designers from underrepresented backgrounds. By the summer of that year, ten designers from diverse backgrounds released the first collection to come from the Stena Williams Design Crew. The collection was as diverse as the designers and featured apparel, footwear, and accessories.
Williams Has Extended Her Fashion Sense Further
Not only has Williams amassed a huge fortune from endorsement deals from top brands in the world, but she has also earned much money from her outside-of-the-box approach. One such example is the Serena Williams signature statement line of clothing. This product line is only available through the Home Shopping Network (HSN) and includes a wide spectrum of women’s clothing. It has been described as a fashion clothing line that includes “just about any type of clothing any woman could ever think about wearing.” It has everything from full-length dresses and faux leather visors to women’s shorts just like the ones available on sanctuaryclothing.com
More Outside-Of-The-Box Marketing Ideas
Remember the Pepsi Challenge, a blind taste test that pit Pepsi against their top rival Coke? Well, the marketing geniuses at Pepsi flipped that idea over and have enlisted several celebrities to flood social media with a new set of challenges. Williams was one of the Pepsi Ambassadors who have embraced this new way of reaching an audience with the brand. Pepsi claims they went this route to address new technology and because, “Now more than ever, we are in a world where the consumer expects to hear from the brands they love in whole different ways.”
Williams-Designed Clothing Products
To promote her new clothing line, Serena, Williams wore a different skin-tight catsuit at the 2018 French Open. The outfit got attention, much like the first catsuit she wore, only this time around the French Tennis Federation banned the outfit stating that “one must respect the game and the place.” Williams responded by donning a black tutu in her first match at the 2018 US Open. In late 2019, she launched the first collection of her sustainable clothing line named S by Serena. The product line focuses on inclusivity and has fashions intended for all body types and sizes ranging from XS to 3X.
Final Thoughts
Serena Williams is an amazing athlete. She holds multiple tennis records and continues to add to her total. She is also an icon in the fashion world. Starting with a clothing endorsement deal when she was just 16, her subsequent have included clothing deals presenting the release of several product lines developed by Williams herself. She has transformed the way women's tennis is perceived and put her mark on female fashion. Williams has also created products that focus on inclusivity, diversity, and affordability. Serena Williams has left a mark on the fashion world and is perfectly set to contribute much more to it in future.
